The Dambrackas Application described a new video compression system optimized to take advantage of redundancies typically occurring on computer screens and also optimized to take advantage of types of video loss acceptable to real-time interactive computer users. In the present application, a familiarity with the Dambrackas application is assumed so that all of the details of the Dambrackas application need not be repeated herein. In one of the example embodiments described in that application, captured frames of computer video were encoded into combinations of five different, uniquely chosen commands, which were selected in sequence based on their ability to most efficiently compress the captured video. The five commands described therein were (1) copy old pixels from an earlier frame, (2) copy pixel from the left, (3) copy pixel from above, (4) make a series of pixels using a 2-color set, and (5) make one or more pixels using a specified color. The Dambrackas application recognized that each command provided unique efficiencies when employed in an hierarchical structure.
According to the Dambrackas application, the make pixel command took the lowest hierarchical position, followed in ascending hierarchical order by: the make series command, the copy above command, the copy left command, and the copy old command. In other words, an encoder encoding video using the Dambrackas system would try to make the copy old command first, and if that did not qualify, it would attempt to make the copy left command, followed by the copy above command, followed by the make series command, and finally resorting to the make pixel command. Dambrackas also recognized that as among the copy old, copy left, and copy above commands the hierarchical priorities only apply if two or more of those commands simultaneously qualify on a current pixel. Further, as long as one copy command (copy old, copy left, or copy above) qualified, Dambrackas disclosed that the encoder should continue with that copy command until it no longer qualified.